In the summer of 1994, the stars aligned in Cleveland as the Indians broke out of a quarter century of mediocrity and finally became a contender. Carlos Baerga, Eddie Murray, Kenny Lofton, and Sandy Alomar, Jr. were joined by a power-hitting first, Jim Thome. He had spent the past few years bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors, but 1994 proved to be his break-out season. Playing in just under 98 games of the strike-shortened season, Thome added 20 home runs and 52 RBIs as the Indians chased the pennant. On June 22 Thome displayed his offensive power when he hit two solo home runs off Detroit’s John Doherty. Unfortunately, the strike ended Thome’s and the Indians breakthrough season, but better things were waiting in 1995 for both.

Jim Thome’s 1994 Louisville Slugger C243 model bat is un-cracked and shows outstanding game use. There are several tremendous ball marks with white leather ball scuffs on the barrel along with clear ink transfers. Cleat imprints are visible as are abrasions from contact with the ground. The barrel and knob ends have Thome’s number “25” and model number “C243” handwritten in silver marker and the Hall of Famer has boldly signed the barrel in silver marker. A textbook Thome gamer from his first great season in the majors. The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B17096) for the game use and has been graded a perfect GU 10, plus a COA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication for the signature.

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